Scouts find merit in day of classes

Scouts from Troop 2000, Fletcher Black, 12, (left) and Daniel O'Sullivan, learn how to correctly perform the Heimlich maneuver during a class on First Aid during Merit Badge Day in Clairemont. This badge is an Eagle Scout requirement.
Nancee E. Lewis, Nancee Lewis Photography

Scouts from Troop 2000, Fletcher Black, 12, (left) and Daniel O'Sullivan, learn how to correctly perform the Heimlich maneuver during a class on First Aid during Merit Badge Day in Clairemont. This badge is an Eagle Scout requirement.

CLAIREMONT  They came to learn about plumbing, electronics, communications, radio, game design and drafting.

They came from throughout the county and from as far as Apple Valley, El Centro, Perris, Pasadena, San Clemente and even Yuma, Ariz.

And they came with a shared goal: merit badges.

“I’m working on Family Life and Traffic Safety,” said Duocanh Vo of Troop 1961 in Riverside. “I’m 15 already, and I’m trying to get my Eagle (Scout badge) before I begin my college application. That’s why I’m rushing.”

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About 350 Boy Scouts were at Creative, Performing and Media Art Middle School in Clairemont on Saturday for Merit Badge Day, the largest event of its kind in San Diego scouting.

Besides the hours of work that go into the task, sometimes one of the biggest challenges of earning a merit badge is just finding an opportunity to work for one, explained Assistant Scout Master Charles Jezycki with Troop 260, the host of Saturday’s event.

“We try to offer different stuff, like radio or plumbing, where you can do soldering,” Jezycki said about the range of classes offered at the school during the event.

The Boy Scouts of America offers 131 merit badges in sports, crafts, science, trades, business and future careers. Earning any one may require a variety of tasks that can range from listening to a lecture to volunteering at an organization. Only one in 500,000 Scouts ever earn all 131, Jezycki said.

The top rank of Eagle Scout requires 21 merit badges, including 13 specific ones. Of those 13 badges, eight were among the 33 offered Saturday.

With a 2½-hour session in the morning and another in the afternoon, Scouts could each earn two badges in one day.

Most badges, however, required some preliminary work. Before earning a Citizenship in the Community badge, for instance, a Scout first would have to visit government buildings, attend a public council or board meeting, research an issue and interview someone in government.

Duocanh said he learned about stop signs and the severe punishments for drinking and driving in his traffic safety class.

Ryan Harding of Troop 772 in Laguna Niguel came down to San Diego to earn Citizenship of the World and Electronics merit badges.

“There aren’t very many Merit Badge Days for our troop,” said Ryan, 13. “I need more Eagle-required merit badges to get up to Star Scout (two ranks below Eagle).”

He already has 12 badges, including eight needed for Eagle.

“I learned about your responsibilities and rights as an American,” Ryan said about the morning Citizenship of the World class. “I learned about different organizations like the United Nations and World Court.”

Ismail Ibrahim, also 13 and from Troop 772, came down to add Family Life and Citizenship in the Community merit badges to the 15 he already had.

The citizenship class included a talk from San Diego City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf.

“She talked about how she has an effect on the community and how we can affect our community by going to a town or city council meeting instead of just complaining,” he said.

Jezycki said he hopes to hold his third Merit Badge Day event later this year, hopefully attracting 500 Scouts.